Show and Tell: Blinks Smart Tabletop Game by Move38

**This article about Blinks Smart Tabletop Game is co-authored by Hannah Buczek of Bold TV.

Welcome back to Show and Tell, where I unbox sweet tech for every area of your life. Have you ever thought about toys from when you were a kid? Some generations were content with a bag of marbles or a slinky. Other generations grew up with a different type of play. Now, some children have grown up on screens, seeing a world of possibilities for entertainment. But Move38 believes that “toys are not simply child’s play, but essential objects to think with and navigate our complex world.” So, they created the Blinks Smart Tabletop Game to help today’s children (or even adults) play with more purpose. Let’s unbox it!

How to play with Blinks

Blinks is a way to have fun without a screen. It uses IR LEDs to light up the game pieces and helps them communicate with each other. These pentagons carry their own unique games and puzzles, and the core pack comes with six pieces for endless fun. How does it work? Pick the piece with your desired game and set it apart and activate the game. Reconnect that piece to the others, and it will snap in with a magnet. From there, all the other pieces will load the game from that original activated game piece. Now, your Blinks system is activated and ready for you to play for hours. You even can add expansion packs with more games and pieces. No worries if you stumble on a particularly difficult puzzle or game; Move38 has video tutorials.

Helping people expand their creativity

The main goal of Blinks is to teach you how to think with a “systems” focus. What does that mean? And how can games teach you anything except fun? Move38 says that “systems thinkers don’t see the world for individual components, but rather the way they interact.” This is actually a STEM toy created to stretch people’s minds. And it goes beyond players. Blinks has an open-source code, which means game developers can create their own unique games with the Blinks system. Behind the fun is a mission: help people exercise their creativity. Check it out and become a systems thinker!

I will be back soon to unbox more tech, but until then, check out previous videos here.